1、考研英语-478 及答案解析(总分：100.00，做题时间：90 分钟)一、Section Use of Eng(总题数：1，分数：10.00)What would happen if consumers decided to simplify their lives and spend less on material goods and services? This (1) is taking on a certain urgency as rates of economic growth continue to decelerate throughout the industrializ
2、ed world, and (2) millions of consumers appear to be (3) for more frugal lifestyle. The Stanford Research Institute, which has done some of the most extensive work on the frugality phenomenon, (4) that nearly five million American adults number“ (5) to and act on some but not all“ of its basic tenet
3、s.The frugality phenomenon first achieved prominence as a middle-class (6) of high consumption lifestyle in the industrial world during the 50s and 60s. In the Silent Revolution, Ronald Inglehart of the University of Michingans Institute of Social Research examined this (7) in the United States and
4、10 Western European nations. He concluded that a change has taken place “from an (8) emphasis on material well-being and physical security (9) greater emphasis on the quality of life“, that is, “a (10) from materialism to postmaterialism“.Inglehart calls the 60s the “fat year“. Among their more visi
5、ble trappings were the ragged blue jeans favored by the affluent young. Most of them (11) from materialism; however, this was (12) Comfortably fixed Americans were going (13) , (14) making things last longer, sharing things with others, learning to do things for themselves and so on. But (15) econom
6、ically significant, it was hardly (16) in a US Gross National Product climbing vigorously toward the $2 thousand billion mark (17) , as the frugality phenomenon matured-growing out of the soaring 80s and into the somber 90s-it seemed to undergo a (18) transformation. American consumers continued to
7、lose (19) in materialism and were being joined by new converts who were (20) frugality because of the darkening economic skies they saw ahead.（分数：10.00）A.questionB.problemC.issueD.dilemmaA.thoughB.asC.much asD.ever sinceA.answeringB.makingC.optingD.planningA.predictsB.discoversC.demonstratesD.estima
8、tesA.amountB.attendC.leadD.adhereA.rejectionB.denialC.retentionD.defianceA.adventureB.maturityC.experienceD.existenceA.overwhelmingB.imaginaryC.trivialD.apparentA.aboutB.towardC.withD.forA.reliefB.variationC.rangeD.shiftA.sufferB.differC.divergeD.retreatA.soundB.subtleC.superficialD.obscureA.without
9、B.offC.aboutD.withA.in generalB.in effectC.for exampleD.in a senseA.whenB.whereasC.whileD.onceA.decisiveB.discernibleC.incredibleD.negligibleA.IndeedB.MoreoverC.ThereforeD.HoweverA.elementaryB.fundamentalC.comprehensiveD.primaryA.faithB.doubtC.patienceD.interestA.accommodatingB.discardingC.embracing
10、D.presenting二、Section Reading Co(总题数：0，分数：0.00)三、Part A(总题数：0，分数：0.00)四、Text 1(总题数：1，分数：10.00)It is the staff of dreams and nightmares. Where Tony Blairs attempts to make Britain love the euro have fallen on deaf ears, its incarnation as notes and coins will succeed. These will be used not just in t
11、he euro area but in Britain. As the British become accustomed to the euro as a cash currency, they will warm to it-paving the way for a yes note in a referendum.The idea of euro creep appeals to both sides of the euro argument. According to the pros, as Britons become familiar with the euro, members
12、hip will start to look inevitable, so those in favor are bound to win. According to the antis, as Britons become familiar with the euro, membership will start to look inevitable, so those opposed must mobilize for the fight.Dream or nightmare, euro creep envisages the single currency worming its way
13、 first into the British economy and then into the affections of voters. British tourists will come back from their European holidays laden with euros, which they will spend not just at airports but in high street shops. So, too, will foreign visitors. As the euro becomes a parallel currency, those w
14、ho make up the current two-to-one majority will change their minds. From there, it will be a short step to decide to dispense with the pound.Nell Kinnock, a European commissioner and former leader of the Labor Party, predicts that the euro will soon become Britains second currency. Hans Eichel, the
15、German finance minister, also says that it will become a parallel currency in countries like Switzerland and Britain. Peter Hain, the European minister who is acting as a cheerleader for membership, says the euro will become “a practical day-to-day reality and that will enable people to make a sensi
16、ble decision about it.“ As many as a third of Britains biggest retailers, such as Marks and Spencer, have said they will take euros in some of their shops. BP has also announced that it will accept euros at some of its garages.But there is less to this than meet the eyes. British tourists can now wi
17、thdraw money from cashpoint from European holiday destinations, so they are less likely than in the past to end up with excess foreign money. Even if they do, they generally get rid of it at the end of their holidays, says David Southwell, a spokesman for the British Retail Consortium (BRC).（分数：10.0
18、0）(1).The writer seems（分数：2.00）A.to be over-enthusiastic about the success of the euro.B.to launch a vigorous campaign against the euro creep.C.to take a matter-of-fact attitude towards the issue.D.to hold a hostile attitude towards euro expansions .(2).Towards euros creep into British economy, the
19、views of Neil Kinnock and David Southwell are（分数：2.00）A.homogeneous.B.similar.C.overlapping.D.opposite.(3).What does the writer intend to illustrate with Marks and Spencer?（分数：2.00）A.British affections for euro.B.The success of euro in Britain.C.Europes support for euro.D.The great influence of reta
20、ilers.(4).The word “cheerleader“ (Paragraph 4) can best be replaced by（分数：2.00）A.“voter.“B.“advocator.“C.“critic.“D.“prophet.“(5).It can be inferred from the text that in Britain euro has been accepted（分数：2.00）A.gradually and substantially.B.noticeably and spiritually.C.inevitably and sensibly.D.ver
21、bally and momentarily.五、Text 2(总题数：1，分数：10.00)Science Fiction can provide students interested in the future with a basic introduction to the concept of thinking about possible futures in a serious way, a sense of the emotional forces in their own cultures that are affecting the shape the future may
22、take, and a multitude of predictions regarding the results of present trends.Although SF seems to take as its future social settings nothing more ambiguous than the current status quo or its totally evil variant, SF is actually a more important vehicle for speculative visions about macroscopic socia
23、l change. At this level, it is hard to deal with any precision as to when general value changes or evolving social institutions might appear, but it is most important to think about the kinds of societies that could result from the rise of new forms of interaction, even if one cannot predict exactly
24、 when they might occur.In performing this “what if .“ function, SF can act as a social laboratory as authors ruminate upon the forms social relationships could take if key variables in their own societies were different, and upon what new belief systems or mythologies could arise in the future to pr
25、ovide the basic rationalizations for human activities. If it is true that most people find it difficult to conceive of the ways in which their society, or human nature itself, could undergo fundamental changes, then SF of this type may provoke ones imagination-to consider the diversity of paths pote
26、ntially open to society.Moreover, if SF is the laboratory of the imagination, its experiments are often of the kind that may significantly alter the subject matter even as they are being carried out. That is, SF has always had a certain cybernetic effect on society, as its visions emotionally engage
27、 the future consciousness of the mass public regarding especially desirable and undesirable possibilities. The shape a society takes in the present is in part influenced by its image of the future; in this way particularly powerful SF images may become self-fulfilling or self-avoiding prophecies for
28、 society. For that matter, some individuals in recent years have even shaped their own life styles after appealing models provided by SF stories. The reincarnation and diffusion of SF futuristic images of alternative societies through the media of movies and television may have speeded up and augmen
29、ted SFs social feedback effects. Thus SF is not only change speculator but change agent, send an echo from the future that is becoming into the present that is sculpting it. This fact alone makes imperative in any education system the study of the kinds of works discussed in this section.（分数：10.00）(
30、1).In discussing the subject matter of SF, the author focuses on（分数：2.00）A.its main functions.B.its great diversity.C.its bold assumptions.D.its social impact.(2).From Paragraph 2, we can infer that（分数：2.00）A.SF is only too powerful to speed up social changes.B.SFs models affect the lifestyles of so
31、me individuals.C.SF serves as a social laboratory for vivid imagination.D.SFs predictions may not so accurate as anticipated.(3).According to the last paragraph, “self-fulfilling“ is to “self-avoiding“ as（分数：2.00）A.“artistic“ to “functional“.B.“material“ to “imaginary“.C.“desirable“ to “undesirable“
32、.D.“rational“ to “emotional“.(4).This text is most likely to be（分数：2.00）A.an excerpt of a book.B.a book review.C.a part of an address.D.a magazine feature.(5).The overall tone of the piece of writing can best be described as（分数：2.00）A.sarcastic.B.persuasive.C.humorous.D.informative.六、Text 3(总题数：1，分数
33、：10.00)El Nino is the term used for the period when sea surface temperatures are above normal off the South American coast along the equatorial Pacific, sometimes called the Earths heartbeat, and is a dramatic but mysterious climate system that periodically rages across the Pacific.El Nino means “th
34、e little boy“ or “the Christ child“ in Spanish, and is so called because its warm current is felt along coastal Peru and Ecuador around Christmas. But the local warming is just part of an intricate set of changes in the ocean and atmosphere across the tropical Pacific, which covers a third of the Ea
35、rths circumference. Its intensity is such that it affects temperatures, storm tracks and rainfall around the world.Droughts in Africa and Australia, tropical storms in the Pacific, torrential rains along the Californian coast and lush greening of Peruvian deserts have all been ascribed to the whim o
36、f EI Nino. Until recently it has been returning about every three to five years. But recently it has become more frequent-for the first time on record it has returned for a fourth consecutive year-and at the same time a giant pool of unusually warm water has settled down in the middle of the Pacific
37、 and is showing no signs of moving.Climatologists dont yet know why, though some are saying these aberrations may signal a worldwide change in climate. The problem is that nobody really seems sure what causes the El Nin o to start up, and what makes some stronger than others. And this makes it parti
38、cularly hard to explain why it has suddenly started behaving so differently.In the absence of EI Nino and its cold counterpart, La Nina, conditions in the tropical eastern Pacific are the opposite of those in the west. the east is cool and dry, while the west is hot and wet. In the east, its the win
39、ds and currents that keep things cool. It works like this. Strong, steady winds, called trade winds, blowing west across the Pacific drag the surface water along with them. The varying influence of the Earths rotation at different latitudes, known as the Coriolis effect, causes these surface winds a
40、nd water to veer towards the poles, north in the northern hemisphere and south in the southern hemisphere. The surface water is replaced by colder water from deeper in the ocean in a process known as upwelling.The cold surface water in turn chills the air above it. This cold dense air cannot rise hi
41、gh enough for water vapor to condense into clouds. The dense air creates an area of high pressure so that the atmosphere over the equatorial eastern Pacific is essentially devoid of rainfall.（分数：10.00）(1).The writer begins the text with（分数：2.00）A.a description of a scene.B.a root cause of EI Nino.C.
42、a narrative of an event.D.a definition of EI Nino.(2).Paragraphs 2 and 3 are written to（分数：2.00）A.discuss the causes of climatic irregularities.B.exemplify the abnormal effects of EI Nino.C.explain the way in which EI Nino develops.D.show the recent observations of scientists.(3).The word “aberratio
43、ns“ (Paragraph 4) can best be replaced by（分数：2.00）A.irregularities.B.destructions.C.frequencies.D.intensities.(4).It can be inferred that when EI Nino and La Nina occurs simultaneously,（分数：2.00）A.the Coriolis effect may bring trade winds to the poles.B.the atmosphere in the Pacific will be cool and
44、dry.C.the conditions in the eastern Pacific would be hot and wet.D.the cold vapor will rise high enough to make for rainfall.(5).In exploring the effect of EI Nino, the author mainly focuses on（分数：2.00）A.its violence.B.its conditions.C.its regularityD.its features.七、Text 4(总题数：1，分数：10.00)The U.S. Su
45、preme Courts decision Monday to let stand a ruling in an online defamation case will make it more difficult to determine correct legal jurisdictions in other Internet cases, legal experts said.By opting not to take the case, the high court effectively endorsed a lower courts decision that a Colorado
46、 company that posts ratings of health plans on the Internet could be sued for defamation in a Washington court. The lower court ruling is one of several that makes it easier for plaintiffs to sue Web site operators in their own jurisdictions, rather than where the operators maintain a physical prese
47、nce.The case involved a defamation suit filed by Chehalis, Wash.-based Northwest Healthcare Alliance against Lakewood, Colo.-based Healthgrades. com The Alliance sued in Washington federal court after Healthgrades. com posted a negative ranking of Northwest Healthcares home health services on the In
48、ternet. Healthgrades. com argued that it should not be subject to the jurisdiction of a court in Washington because its publishing operation is in Colorado.Observers said the fact that the Supreme Court opted not to hear the case only clouds the legal situation for Web site operators.Geoff Stewart,
49、a partner at Jones Day in Washington, D. C. , said that the Supreme Court eventually must act on the issue, as Internet sites that rate everything from automobile dealerships to credit offers could scale back their offerings to avoid lawsuits originating numerous jurisdictions.Online publishers also might have to worry about being dragged into lawsuits in foreign courts, said Dow Lohnes however, this was (12) Comfortably fixed Americans were going (13) , (14) making things last longer, sharing things with others, learning to do things for themselves and so on. Bu
